Speak Out 6/22/08

Crosswalk hazard

I AM a native Southeast Missourian (Malden High School 1969; Southeast Missouri State University 1974) now living in Oregon. I have been visiting family in Cape Girardeau the past 10 days. I had the opportunity to walk around the Southeast campus and downtown reminiscing about my college days. It is great to see how much has changed and how much has remained as I remembered it. Unfortunately, my visit was nearly cut short on several occasions by drivers who seemed unaccustomed to pedestrians (especially me) in crosswalks. It seems to me that some drivers interpret the red octagonal sign with STOP on it to mean "Slow down, They're Only Pedestrians."

Limiting religion

WHEN IT comes to freedom of religion, you can believe anything you want. However, the courts have consistently and sensibly placed limits on church practices: banning snake biting in church, stopping dope smoking as a sacrament, sanctioning polygamous marriage.

No place to ride

I AM outraged by the comment complaining about bikers who use the middle of the road. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we have no safe areas to ride around Cape Girardeau on. The only thing remotely close to safe is the bike trail, a measly four-mile stretch of blacktop. Cape needs to be more biker friendly.

A better life

IT SHOULDN'T matter the reason why a person is homeless. Everyone should be given the opportunity to have a better life. This country was built on second chances. These are human beings we are talking about.

Stay out of Iran

PRESIDENT BUSH: Even though we should never have started it, the war in Iraq finally seems to be going in the right direction. However, please do not interpret this encouraging development as a signal to attack Iran.

Right to complain

I EXPECT the Cape Girardeau police to do their jobs and no less. Just the other day I was stopped at a stoplight, and a policeman was parked next to me. Two cars went through the light on red, and the officer did nothing. I think we have every right to complain about the police when we see this.

Bad timing

POOR KATHRYN Lopez. She can't win for losing. She writes and the Southeast Missourian dutifully publishes her piece praising international trade agreements at the very time Missourians are fuming about the pending sale of Anheuser-Busch to a Belgian concern.

Factory jobs

IF RUSH Limbaugh likes nanotechnology so much, maybe he should work in a factory and see how hard people work in manufacturing plants. Many of the jobs have been outsourced to China, which is creating a severe job shortage in our country. This is creating more problems for ourselves.

Abusive husbands

I READ the article about domestic and intimate partner sexual violence. It was interesting to me as I was in a marriage of isolation, emotional abuse, economic abuse, sexual abuse, using the children, threats, using male privilege and intimidation for the duration of a long marriage. I believe the only way to stop this is to treat these men for what they are doing: battery and rape. I think these men are being protected. If we treat these men like we treat child abusers and publish their names in the newspaper and make them register online, this would finally stop.